Our productions Past Productions We Need New Names (2023) ★★★★ "The significance of this play will remain immeasurable" The Stage ★★★★ "Playful staging...smart dramatisation" The Guardian ★★★★★ "Humorous and horrifying in equal measure; the show was a thoroughly engaging experience from start to finish" LondonTheatre1 ABOUT THE PLAY Paradise. Home of 10-year-old Darling and her friends: four children on the edge of innocence. A playground overflowing with mischief and games where they imagine countries a luxurious life away from theirs in Mugabe's Zimbabwe. But when Darling moves to Michigan, the western world she encounters as a teenager is far from the American utopia of her dreams... Based on the novel by the first Black African woman and first Zimbabwean to be Booker Prize-shortlisted, this defiant coming-of-age story is full of exuberance, humour and humanity. CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM We Need New Names was co-produced by Fifth Word and New Perspectives in association with Brixton House. Writer: Mufaro Makubika (adapted from the novel by NoViolet Bulawayo)Director: Monique ToukoDesigner: Ingrid HuLighting Designer: Adam KingComposer: Tendai Humphrey SitimaSound Designer: Ed LewisMovement Director: Ricardo da SilvaAssistant Director: Jordi M. CarterStage Manager: Alyssa WattsProduction Manager: Alison WillcoxCast: Anashe Danai, Kalungi Ssebandeke, Lukwesa Mwamba, Munashe Chirisa, Princess Khumalo and Tatenda Madamombe MORE REVIEWS ★★★★ "Dynamic...mesmerizing" Theatre-News.com ★★★★ "The kind of story that should be told across all of our theatres" All That Dazzles ★★★★ "This play will certainly be one I won't forget in a hurry!" Afridiziak ★★★★ "Makubika brings a fresh perspective to this story" The Rendition PERFORMANCES After previewing and debuting at Brixton House, We Need New Names was performed at 9 theatres and arts centres across the UK from 28 April - 10 June 2023.